Identify Your Role Model to Succeed!

To start, I would like you to take few minutes and think of people whom you aspire to be like and who made a positive impact in your life!

I believe that it is essential for everyone to identify a couple of role models to aspire to be like them. I have defined my role models at an early stage of my career whom I have aspired to be like and use them as motivation and support whenever I feel that doors are closing in front of me.

First and for most, for my personal life, I couldn’t think of better roles models than my parents. I always look up to my mother when it comes to the way she sacrifices to provide us with all the support we need in life. Also, with the way she raised us when we were kids, it is something I look at when raising and dealing with my kids. Moreover; my father is a person I look up to the way he sacrifices to bring the family to the level it is at today, also in being a good strategist, businessman, and a great leader.

Now moving to the professional role models, I have identified two key ones:

1. Ms. Aisha Al Kharusi – Chief Marketing Officer at Al Izz Islamic Bank, for being successful women in leadership as well as creating some time for having CSR activities in her life.

I met Aisha in 2007 during my final semester at university; she was one of the key speakers at the first Women in Business Conference held in Muscat. She was working as Deputy Director of Strategic Analysis, Middle East region, for Boeing-based in Dubai. I remember that day very well, as after she finished her speech, she came and sat with us which was students table instead of sitting with the other business people around. Right after, she started motivating us and helping us to set our career goals after graduation through telling us her personal story. She also gave us her business card to contact her for any support or advice we might require. In June 2007, immediately after my final exams, I was called for an interview in Dubai, this opportunity was given to three students from our university. I was the only one from College of Commerce and two from Engineering college and decided to send an email to Aisha to meet up and get some more advice from her. Yes, I emailed her, and it took her just a few hours to reply back and said that she is thrilled to meet up with me in Dubai and she came to the interview place to support me and was there for me.

Times passed, and we kept in touch, and whenever I require advice and support, she is always there for me, which I am very much thankful to her.

I don’t know her personally, but I got aspired by her words when I read her article in Times of Oman on DECEMBER 14, 2013 when she said, there is no shortcut to success. The secret lies in hard work, developing skills, believing in one’s instinct and taking a risk. Moreover, she added saying: “”Work hard and believe in yourself. Open doors and ask and take advice. There is no way but to ask at every step.” I carry those words wherever I decide to take any new risk in my life. Not to mention also, that I have identified her as a role model because I share the same interest of industry being the Tourism and Hospitality. That’s why I like following her speeches and workshops so I can learn more from her.